Disgraced former Scottish Government minister, Derek Mackay, is to appear at a Holyrood committee this week.

He will give evidence in person over the delayed and over-budget CalMac ferries.

Mackay resigned as Finance Secretary in 2020 after he was found to have been sending inappropriate messages to a 16-year-old boy.

The minister sent 270 unwanted messages, called him “cute”, and invited him to meet.

Mackay will give evidence to the Public Audit Committee over his role when he was transport minister in the awarding of contracts for CalMac ferries, which are currently over budget and delayed.

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The ferries, currently under construction at Ferguson’s Shipyard in Port Glasgow, are five years late and more than two and a half times over budget.

The boats were due to be ready in 2018 and cost £98m. They are now estimated to cost £250m.

An Audit Scotland investigation into the contracts concluded there was “inadequate financial safeguards in place to protect public money”.

Whilst stating responsibility for Scottish Government decisions ultimately rested with her as First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon said last year that the transport minister at the time contracts were signed was Derek Mackay.

Mackay had announced the contact on stage at an SNP conference in2015 on stage at the SNP conference in October 2015.